Improvement in type-setting fviachlnes



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F. G'. Fasten. Type-Setting Machines.

Patented April 14,1874.

No.l49,647.

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F. G. FOSTER.

Type-Setting Machines. N0.49,547. Patented April'14, 1874.

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Mtn @Nye/J7 In venan ,gg- N Ma/QM UNITED'STArEs rPAT-ENT OFFICE.

'FENTON e. ros'rna'or WAKE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA.

IMPROVEMENT IN TYPE-SETTING MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 149,647, dated April 14, 1874; application filed February 11, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FENTON G. FOSTER, of the'county of Wake and State of North Garolina, have made an invention of certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Setting Printers Type; and that the following is a full, clear, and'exact description and specification of the same.

The object `or" this invention is to render the machine on which I have heretofore procured Letters Patent of the United States more efficient in setting printers type, and in that form now set by hand. This invention consists in certain devices for this purpose; and, in order that these improvements may be fully understood, a machine is herein represented by the accompanying drawings, which I shall now proceed to describe, reference being had to same; Fig. 7, a separate view of device for Adisconnecting the keys with the lingers of any particular font-box, so that another of a different font maybe substituted; Fig. 8, an enlarged and separate view of device for connecting the rods and keys; Fig. 9, a separate view of the stick-board and its accompaniments. l

The case A, Fig. 1, is placed on top of case.

B, as described in patent hereinbefore referred to. This Icase A has its front formed of two separate pieces, afb. The upper part is also provided with fingers, recesses, and grooves. These fingers" operateupward from their respective axes, thereby throwing the apertures from which the type is supplied to the iingers in the upper part of the recesses, instead of the lower, as heretofore. By this arrangement the type-boxes are thrown above the axes of said fingers, and the lwires connecting the keys and said fingers, instead of running through the type-boxes and connectingwith said fingers above said type-boxes, as heretofore, are made to connect below; thus rendering the machine more practicable, easier to change the boxes holding vtheV type, and connect and disconnect the wires. The fingers :c a' are provided withV thus preventing inefficiency in striking out its type, on account of wear through long use, and also causing it to strike but one type at a time. The recess is further provided with a stop, c, (best shown in Fig. 4,) whereby the finger is prevented from moving farther than is necessar f to place the type in its particular groove, and beyond the action of the type-box spring, the linger being so formed, as represented in said Fig. 4, that, while under influence of the key it entirely covers the aperture n, it can pass no farther than necessaryto accomplishsaid object., This stop is formed by continuor onto the lever operating the finger from the inside; but, in every case, .it acts in conjunction with the springs placed under, the front ends of the keys of the key-board when the pressure is removed, and thus more certainly throws back the finger. to the position occupied before the key was depressed. The top board a is also made in a better form (represented in Fig. 3) for holding the several typeboXes, one of which, d, is here represented placed in its groove and ready to be slipped down to its proper position while feeding out type to the iingers. Each of these type-boxes is provided with a handle, e, whereby it can be more readily removed whenv empty. This top board a, or, as I designate it, font-changer,77 is also provided with handles ff, one at each of its ends, by means of which the whole fontchanger, with its several boxes, fingers, springs,

glass, and type, may be easily removed'. rlhe glasscovering the whole of the front part of the box A, Fig. 1, has been divided into two pieces, instead of one, thereby giving greater beauty to the instrument, besides rendering the danger of breaking the same less, whileeach plate remains covered with its particular glass. These respective glasses may be liable to spring when covering a full plate of a large working instrument; in that case they must be divided into a number of pieces, for it is absolutely necessary that the glass should iit the grooved board closely, or else the necessity of each groove being thus .formed into a perfectly closed tube would not be satisiied. The inclined plane g g is extended downward and forward, through the keys of the key-` board, onto the stick-board, thereby makingv it more convenientfor the operator to manipulate, if necessary, the line of type set. This inclined plane is also provided with feeders ,s s,

(best shown in Fi g. 2,) an d is thus better connected with the plates placed 011e behind the other. Each of these feeders isprovided at its lower end with a brake, u, suitablybalanced, so that any type can readily pass` under the saine by the mere force gained by falling down its own tube, the brake readily conforming itself to anyA particular and every thickness of the types.

This -brake is also designed to retard the before accelerated motion of the types, thereby insuring greater certainty in falling into the stick O', Fig. 2, with their nicks in the right direction. At the points 7L h, or where the feeders connect with their respective grooved plates, it is designed to place other brakes, somewhat similarly made, whereby the tubeformed by the glass and board may be continued into the feeder, and, by means of said brakes, made adjustable to any sized type of that particular font then operated on; for the groove in this feeder, being necessarily large enough to permit the thickest type of any plate to pass easily thence into the inclined plane, must, on this account, render the smaller typean i,7 for instancemore liable to change the relative position of its nick when passing round this curve. But if the upper point o of said brake u is made of such a shape as to operate in the curved feeder where it joins the glasscovered plate, there will be no necessity for a second brake at this point. And it will furthermore. possess the advantage of rendering the clogging of the type more difficult while passing through onto the inclined plane gg; for, in that case, atypepassing under the lower en d 7c of the brake u will necessarily depress its upper end fu, thereby closing the. groove to the exit of another type from the plate until the first type shall have fully passed onto the inclined plane. This brake u is pivoted in such a position that its lower end 7c will rest in the groove t' 'i of the inclined plane g g at the point where each type from the feeder will fall into said groove, thus forming a wedge-.shaped recess, into which the type must fall, and thereby again the better insuring the relative position ofthe nick. 'It will be observed that the brake operating at the lower point ofthe feeder connected with the front plate is thus placed directly over the point where the plates, ranged one behind the other, connect by means of the inclined plane. At this point the type from the front plate necessarily experiences a considerable jar in passin g, which, if not for said brake, might cause the deran gement of its nick. The rod m, Fig. 7 which connects the keys with the lever, operating and fastened on the inside of the finger, is formed at its upper end into a loop, p, which, while it permits the easy disconnection of said keys from their ngers, as herein more fully described, at the saine time acts as a knee-joint while operatin said levers, so that said levers arel permitted to describe the small arc required whenever the keys aredepressed, the movement of said levers being thus rendered easy and complete, which could not be accomplished by a permanent and solid connection. The lower end of this rod is fastened into a screw, Fig. S, having a similar loop, and which screw is inserted into the key. This screw permits the rod to be shortened or lengthened, if required, and by its connection with the rod permits said rod to move backward or forward, or from side to side. The frame r r w w, Fig. 7, operates inside of the case A, Fig. 1, the ends r r projecting from the same, as shown. On this frame are placed loops or eyelets g/ y, through which the rods m pass, and by which they are held in position when thrown oif the finger-levers l, Fig. 2. Now, if it is desired to change the font of type, the ends r fr are seized by the operator, pushed back, and every rod is thrown off its iin ger, and the keys become entirely disconnected'from the font-changer. AThe fontchanger, Fig. 3, is now easily lifted out by its handles, as already described, and another substituted, when, the frame'beingpulled back to its former position, the loops j) of the rods m at vonce'engagethe levers Z of the fingers of the new board, and the machine is ready for operatin g the new font of letters.

These font-changers, as I have before said,

hold the boxes containing the supply of type, one of which type-boxes is represented at Figs. 6 and 61'. Onthe front end vof this box is a device, c, moving 011 a pivot, g2. Vhen this box is lled with type the device is held in the .4

position shown in Fig. 6, thus preventing the spring-follower' from ejeetin g'the type, b'y having its side directly over and partiallycovering the front opening of the box. But whenit is placed in the font-chan ger, Fig. 3, Aand in its particular groove, this' groove causes the slot therein to correspond with thatlof the type-box, so that the type are free to be thrown forward within range of the movement of the finger. The top of the front end of this typeabove it, and in this same groove. vice (and there is one for every type-box) has a follower, t, of .the.; form shown, one part of which, s1proje,cts above the box, and forms a,

convenient catchl for theiin ger when' the spring isto be depressed intothe head of the type-box. Inthe rear end of this box thereis a notch, q, into which the point ofthe follower s2 catches whenever the spring is depressed, thereby rendering-said spring inactive while the box is being filled. The upper endsl of this follower answers another purpose, whiehl shall now describe. On the top of the machine, and fully shown inltheperspective view, Fig. l, is an annunciator, o1, which is sounded by a hammer, o2. This hammer isfsecured to an laxle, c3, on the opposite side of which is a wire, which catches into the little recess b2, cut into the bar c2. This bar isxed on the rear ends of two levers, m1 w1, which move on fulcrums near their centers. On the frontends of `these levers `nel :101,at the points y y', is inserted a Wire or rod, bent at right angles at each end. l'These ends being inserted in the ends of the levers, at y y', the rest of the wire yx hangs down and inside of the case A at its upper part, and abovethe font-chan gers. Now, when a boxV filled with type has been placed in its groove in this font-chan ger, Fig. 3, and pushed down` to its posit-ion, a device represented in Fig. 5, made of the same length of the type-box, is placed :immediately on and This dea lever, b", hinged on its top, and operating by means of a spring, f2. 0n the front end of this lever a wire, u2,is fastened, the lower end of which, provided with a hook or other suitable device, Z5, fastens itself, when the lever Zrt is depressed, onto the little catch x2. Now, when the last type f'alls out, the front end of the follower t, Fig. `6, is thrown against the gl ass a, and the point s1 comes in contact with the hooked end of the wire a2, aud throws it from itsA fastening` m2. The lever b4, iiying up by the force Vof the' spring f2, strikes` against the wire y", fastened at the points y y', Fig. l, thus raising the front ends of the levers .r1 x1, and, depressing the bar e2, disen gages the wire on the axle a3 from its fastening in the notch b2, and the hammer 02, by means of the spring m', strikesthe` bell 01and the box is thereby known to be empty. By raising the top 85, the particular box is recognized, and islifted out and replaced by a full one. The stickboard, Fig. 9, works under the bottom of the case B like a drawer, and is easily detached therefrom, if required. llVhen a type comes down the inclined plane g g it falls into a recess, b, formed by the stick-follower h1, and

the front par-t of the inclined plane g. The packer ll is now pulled forward by means of the handle Z2, operating the lever w3, and the type just dropped is moved forward its own thickness toward the front of the stick-board, carrying theV follower h1 before it; one object of thispacker being to preserve this recess against being packed with type, and give to each descending type a space suficient to set itself y upright `inthe stick. When the spring x5 is relieved of the force communicated'by means ofthe rod andy handle .12, it operates on the lever 003, and causes it to draw the packer l1 back to its former Vlnositiomthe connecting-rod .t2 making this mot-ion easy and certain. fThis packer can, however, be

operated in a more convenient `manner by a pedal attached to a suitable crank. As every type falls into the stick, the followerh1 is continually moved` `forward until it reaches the front side of the stick-board upon the completion of every line, and there iills the little rel cess h3, which disengaging the rod 0.2 from its rest therein, the hammer o3 is thereby caused to lsound the annuuciator 04, and the line is known to be completed. This hammer is operated by ya spring, s3. (Best seen inFig. l.) The setting-rule u2 is now thrown back, the driver pushed forward by means of its head a?, and the liner is discharged into the galley D, leaving the machine ready for setting another line. The form of the follower h1 is that of a right angle, as best represented at o1, Fig. 2, and works under the lower front end of the inclined plane g g, and immediately under the packer Z1; the bottom of the inclined plane g g, at its front edge, being grooved, for the purpose of permitting the packer to slip back and forth with ease; By making the front side of this stick-board l I to move backward or forward, by screws or otherwise, the length of the line may be increased, as desired." This stick-board is also provided with boxes h2 h2, for holding spaces used in justifying.

I claim as my invention,'aud wish to secure by Letters Patent.-

l. The finger x, when made substantially as represented, so that, in conjunction with the stop c, it is permitted to move only so far as to place the type fairly in its tube.

2. The finger m, when working upward from its axle, so that, in conjunction with the typebox d, feeding into the upper instead of theA lower part of the recess, the rod m, connectving a key of the key-board with a linger-lever,

l, is connected with said lever below the typeboxes, substantially as represented and described.

3. The upper part a of the front board c b of the/'case A, constructed in a separate piece from the lower part b, and so connected with the type-boxes d cl that, by means of the handles f f, all the type-boxes can be removed at once, and by the same motion that removes the board, and another of similarv make containing a different font substituted, substantially as represented and described.

4. The combination of a removable typebox, d, and grooved board a, Asaid type-box operating in thel rear of said grooved board, and in conjunction with a finger, x, substantially as represented and described.v

5. The detachable rods'm, constructed as described, in combination with the sliding frame r r w w, arranged substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

6. The device C, having an opening corresponding to that of the type-box d, and pivoted thereto, substantially as represented and described.

7. The follower t, when made as represented and described, and used in connection VWith a type-box, d, and its spring, for the purpose of depressing said spring While lilling, and, at the same time, serving as a trip to the Wire u2 when the last type is used, substantially as represented and described.

8. The combination of device, Fig. 5, annunciator o1, hammer 02, axle a3, bar e2, levers acl acl, Wire `y y', and follower t, and type-box d, or their substantial equivalents, when used for the purpose of announcing a type-box empty, substantially as represented andl de-V FENTON Gr.' FOSTER.

Witnesses:

PARKER H. SWEET, Jr., B. S. HEDRIGK. 

